With smuggling rampant..Kamjong in desperate need of police outposts
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, May 16 2020: Smuggling of contraband items including illegal drugs across Indo-Myanmar border through Kamjong district has been on the rise.

Even though the State Government declared war on drugs to address the menace of drug abuse on war footing, drug smugglers are literally enjoying a free run along Kamjong sector of Indo-Myanmar border.

As such, there is an urgent need to deploy more security forces along the international boundary by way of opening adequate number of police outposts.

Kamjong, Kasom and Phungyar are three key points through contraband items are smuggled into the State.

With smuggling rampant..Kamjong in desperate need of police outposts

From Kamjong, Kasom and Phungyar, smugglers take the route to Kangpat Khunou before choosing different routes in accordance to their destinations.

It is crucial to identify the places through which cross-border smuggling is done before adequate number of police outposts are opened at strategic points.

There have been reports of smuggling contraband drugs after drilling big holes in tree trunks brought in trucks and Shaktiman from the jungles of Myanmar.

Apart from opening adequate number of police outposts, at least one police station should be opened at Kangpat Khunou.

People settled in the extreme border areas of Kamjong along the Indo-Myanmar boundary do not have the capacity to check smuggling of contraband items.

Such unlawful activities can be checked only when villagers work together with police, said some villagers.

Phungyar AC MLA K Leishiyo accompanied by media persons, Phungyar SDO and Phungyar SDPO visited the border villages on May 12.Talking to media persons, headmen of many villages such as Huimin Thana, Skipe, Kangpat and Kangpat Khunou urged the Government to open police outposts in the borders areas of Kamjong as soon as possible.

They even offered land and building needed for opening police outposts.

The headmen assured that the villagers would extend full cooperation to police.

Phaiko village is located in the areas extending from border pillar numbers 102-1 and 102-2 to 102-3 and it is just half a Kilometre farther from Huimin Thana.

Indo-Myanmar boundary runs just outside the periphery of Phaiko village and this section of the international border is not fenced.

As such, it serves as a convenient point for smugglers to cross into Myanmar and back, said the villagers.

Even if the Government thinks that Phaiko village is too close to Myanmar border for opening police outpost, police outpost can be definitely opened at Huimin Thana, they asserted.

Headman and villagers of Huimin Thana said that they were willing to donate even a wooden house which would serve as a police outpost temporarily.

Villagers of Skipe too offered land and house if the Government agrees to the proposal of opening a police outpost there.

There are two roads which would soon become key means communication for Kamjong district.

One connects Finch Corner to Kasom Khullen.

The other one connects Kamjong with Phaiko via Huimin Thana and it is being constructed under NEC.

The first one which would connect Finch Corner to Kasom Khullen has been already designated as NH 102-A .

The two roads would meet at Kamjong Lamkhai.

The Kamjong-Huimin Thana-Phaiko road is being constructed with BIPL as the work agency and it is 37 Kms long.

The road construction work is likely to be completed within two years and a half.

Tender process for the first portion of NH 102-A has been completed and the road construction work is likely to begin within the current year.

Once these two key roads are fully constructed, the need for more police outposts and stations would grow further.